The Inner Child Keeps on Growing

A quick post before bed to say hello, we're back!

Eastercon was great fun, saw lots of good panels (and both the ones I was seemed to go reasonably well), only one really disasterous panel (you really don't want to know), met lots of old friends (and managed to miss others: I spotted the_magician  moving at great speed in the distance twice and walked past ias  at one point only realising who it was several afterwards and didn't see them again to say 'hi') and made some new ones.

Overall a good'n. Maybe more when I'm awake again!

Just realised that I haven't posted anything apart from comments to others for a while.

So what's been happening? Well, P. is now almost fully recovered from her various lurgis.

Work continues to be rather frantic, although it should calm down a bit this coming week (file under 'famous last words'...)

Otherwise, things have been fairly quiet. I had one very annoying moment a week or so ago when the latest copy of Interzone arrived. I openened it up to the book reviews pages to find a review for the book I have just submitted a review for by someone else. Needless to say the reviews editor and I had words... (it seems it's not really Iain's fault: the main editor keeps sending people out to do reviews independent of Iain and not telling Iain about it).

Other than that I've been doing much reading and a certain amount of watching TV. Some capsule reviews may possibly follow but if not a quick recomendation to Anime fans. If you get the chance do watch an Anime series called Haibane Renmei. It is a beautifully produced tale about a young girl who is born (reborn?) from a cocoon in a city, with wings (and soon, a halo). She is one of the Haibane (pronounced High-ban-ay), or Charcoal Feathers. There are other Haibane in the city, all of them fairly young. They seem to be revered and protected by the townspeople (although they are expected to work) but are not allowed to leave the city.

The series is about the mystery of the Haibane and the city - where they come from and what it means. The story is spread over 4 disks (3-4 episodes per disk) and we have seen the first two. The third comes out tomorrow (it's been out for a year or two in the 'States I believe). The artwork is beautiful and the tone melancholy and the whole thing is quite fascinating. Not quite as instantly likeable as Fruits Basket but still worth catching.

Hi guys.

I'm very aware that I've had all these things in my head that I wanted to write about this week and I haven't got around to doing any of them. Such is life... Part of it has been that I was having one of my very tired weeks. I can't remember if I mentioned this here, but early in the year I discovered I had been suffering from Glandular Fever (Mononucleosis for my American friends). Luckily mildly, but it hasn't quite gone away. The main symptom is that some weeks I just about get through the days and then feel too tired to have the energy to do anything very much. This has been one of those weeks.

So a brief summary:
Finished Olympos by Dan Simmons which I had been looking forward to. I would sum it up as extremely entertaining at the same time as being complete tosh! I thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Work has been very busy and more than a bit stressful this week. I had to lead a workshop on Thursday and on Friday I presented a new appraisal system to half the department. This seemed to go pretty well. Unfortunately my favourite user has been making my life a misery, with more to come no doubt. Oh yes, and I've found out that I'm going to have some staff to manage. Bleugh!

Watched all of Fruits Basket on DVD. I definitely want to write more about this at some point. To sum up: we laughed, we cried, it made me think about family stuff and upbringing in a way I hadn't for a while. So I cried some more. I can't recommend this enough though. Now to read the Manga to find out the bits the Anime missed!

Watched bits of Wimbledon and Live 8.

Currently, just about finished reading (in PDF version) Cory Doctorow's latest (reviewing for Interzone. An odd one. I sort of like it, I think.

Anyway, I hope to have a bit more energy next week. I know I wanted to write about Fruits Basket and the recently finished Doctor Who series before I forget what I wanted to say!

Yesterday was one of those days that was just ... well I won't say perfect but just a good day.

( An almost perfect day )